224. Make Your Messages Epic: The Evolution of Words and the Stories They Carry
Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques
Think Fast Talk Smart
4.7 • 806 Ratings
🗓️ 21 August 2025
⏱️ 23 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Why modern communication still relies on ancient words and narratives.
All communication and connection depend on one thing: language. That’s why Laura Spinney says understanding language — where it comes from and how it evolves over time — can help us use it more effectively.
“Language is incredibly powerful,” says Spinney, an author and journalist published in the Atlantic, National Geographic, Nature, and New Scientist. As “humanity’s oldest tool,” language has evolved as we have, which Spinney explores in her latest book, Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global. In addition to the words themselves, there are also the stories that humans have carried with them for millennia. “Some stories that we still tell today,” Spinney notes, have remained stable for tens of thousands of years — providing more than just entertainment — shaping how we understand the world, share knowledge, and build community.
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Spinney and host Matt Abrahams discuss why language and storytelling are fundamental to being human, what makes a story compelling, and how our ever-evolving language continues to be our best tool for communication and connection.
To listen to the extended Deep Thinks version of this episode, please visit FasterSmarter.io/premium.
Episode Reference Links:
- Laura Spinney
- Laura’s Books: Proto / Pale Rider
- Ep.168 How Story Can Change Everything in Your Career
- Ep.91 Um, Like, So: How Filler Words Can Create More Connected, Effective Communication
Connect:
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- Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io
- Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website
- Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io
- Think Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube
- Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn
Chapters:
- (00:00) - Introduction
- (02:25) - Power & Limits of Language
- (02:56) - Detecting Lies
- (04:47) - Origins of Storytelling
- (07:43) - What Makes a Great Story
- (10:32) - Proto-Indo-European Language
- (12:53) - Language Families & Connections
- (15:07) - Language Clues in History
- (17:18) - The Final Three Questions
- (21:45) - Conclusion
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, Matt here. Think Fast Talk Smart listeners from all over the world have shared how useful our August |
| 0:06.8 | newsletter's article on best practices for non-native speakers was for them. I wanted to remind you that for each |
| 0:13.6 | episode we provide English language learning support, where we share useful information to help you |
| 0:18.7 | develop your English skills. Check out these English |
| 0:22.1 | language learning and other resources along with our newsletter and deep dive videos at Faster, |
| 0:27.5 | Smarter.io, under Resources. Language sits at the very heart of our ability to connect, to innovate, and to collaborate. |
| 0:40.8 | If we are to get better at our communication, we first have to start by understanding language and its origins. |
| 0:48.3 | My name is Matt Abrahams, and I teach strategic communication at Stanford Graduate School of Business. |
| 0:54.3 | Welcome to Think Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast. |
| 0:59.4 | We spend about a third of our waking hours working, but so many people feel stuck in their |
| 1:05.2 | jobs they've outgrown. I've heard it all. What if the next move is even worse? I can't |
| 1:10.1 | afford to take the wrong step. |
| 1:11.7 | Who am I without the title I have? These feelings are real. But they're also why so many people feel stuck. That's where today's sponsor, Strawberry.me, comes in. They connect you with a certified career coach who helps you go from where you are to where you actually want to be. It's like |
| 1:28.9 | therapy for your career. A coach helps you cut through the noise to find your next move and turn |
| 1:34.6 | vague goals into a real world plan with accountability that keeps you moving forward. Own your future |
| 1:40.9 | with a coach in your corner. Go to strawberry.me slash smart to claim your $50 |
| 1:47.8 | credit and get started. That's strawberry.m.m.m. slash smart. Stop settling. Start building the |
| 1:55.3 | career you actually want. Today I look forward to speaking with Laura Spinney. |
| 2:01.9 | Laura's an author and journalist. |
| 2:03.7 | Her writing appears in many locations, including the Atlantic, National Geographic, |
| 2:08.3 | Nature, and New Scientist. |
| 2:10.7 | Laura is the author of Pale Rider, the Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World, |
... |
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